Patreon has added a holiday-ready feature for fans eager to support their favorite creators: gift subscriptions.
Announced Wednesday, the creator membership platform will offer both gift subscriptions and an option for creators to provide discounts on membership sign-ups, just in time for the holiday season. The new features aim to increase membership engagement during the busy gift-giving period from November through January.
Previously available only to select creators in a test phase, the gift subscription feature is now open to all creators on the platform. This timing aligns with a period that historically sees a rise in membership sign-ups, according to Patreon. With the gifting option, fans can send Patreon subscriptions as holiday presents, giving recipients access to exclusive content such as extra podcast episodes, livestreams, or even digital downloads. For instance, creators who share cooking videos might offer bonus recipes behind the paywall, giving gift recipients a taste of the exclusive material usually reserved for paying subscribers.
For creators hesitant about free access, Patreon’s new discount feature allows them to offer temporary, reduced-cost memberships for new fans, maintaining paid membership exclusivity. This complements Patreon’s addition of free memberships last year, which allowed users to sign up for non-paywalled content similar to an email newsletter. According to Patreon, this free membership model has brought in 30 million new sign-ups, allowing creators to connect with a wider audience.
The introduction of gift subscriptions also draws a parallel with the gifting culture already popular among streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube, where users frequently gift subscriptions to fellow fans. While Patreon’s gift subscriptions may lack the spontaneity of a livestream “gift sub,” they offer an easy and thoughtful holiday gift option, particularly for younger fans who follow online creators closely.
With these new holiday-focused features, Patreon is positioning itself as a flexible platform for both fans and creators during the busiest gifting season of the year.
